TikTok as a Source of Health Information and Misinformation for Young Women in the United States: Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: TikTok is one of the most-used and fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and recent reports indicate that it has become an increasingly popular source of news and information in the United States. These trends have important implications for public health because an abundance of health information exists on the platform. Women are among the largest group of TikTok users in the United States and may be especially affected by the dissemination of health information on TikTok. Prior research has shown that women are not only more likely to look for information on the internet but are also more likely to have their health-related behaviors and perceptions affected by their involvement with social media. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a survey of young women in the United States to better understand their use of TikTok for health information as well as their perceptions of TikTok's health information and health communication sources. METHODS: A web-based survey of US women aged 18 to 29 years (N=1172) was conducted in April-May 2023. The sample was recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and 2 public universities in the United States. RESULTS: The results indicate that the majority of young women in the United States who have used TikTok have obtained health information from the platform either intentionally (672/1026, 65.5%) or unintentionally (948/1026, 92.4%). Age (959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.30; P<.001), education (959/1026, 93.47%; ρ=0.10; P=.001), and TikTok intensity (ie, participants' emotional connectedness to TikTok and TikTok's integration into their daily lives; 959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.32; P<.001) were positively correlated with overall credibility perceptions of the health information. Nearly the entire sample reported that they think that misinformation is prevalent on TikTok to at least some extent (1007/1026, 98.15%), but a third-person effect was found because the young women reported that they believe that other people are more susceptible to health misinformation on TikTok than they personally are (t1025=21.16; P<.001). Both health professionals and general users were common sources of health information on TikTok: 93.08% (955/1026) of the participants indicated that they had obtained health information from a health professional, and 93.86% (963/1026) indicated that they had obtained health information from a general user. The respondents showed greater preference for health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=23.75; P<.001); the respondents also reported obtaining health information from health professionals more often than from general users (t1025=8.13; P<.001), and they were more likely to act on health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=12.74; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that health professionals and health communication scholars need to proactively consider using TikTok as a platform for disseminating health information to young women because young women are obtaining health information from TikTok and prefer information from health professionals.

Can Videos on TikTok Improve Pap Smear Attitudes and Intentions? Effects of Source and Autonomy Support in Short-Form Health Videos.

This study was designed to test the effects of two message features (source and level of autonomy support) that are commonly found in short-form social media (e.g. TikTok) videos about Pap tests. The source is defined as who is communicating the message, and autonomy support refers to providing an individual with the independence, respect, and choice to make their own decision. In an online experiment, 636 females aged 21-29 viewed TikTok videos about Pap tests varying in source (doctor vs. peer) and level of autonomy support (either using controlling language to demand getting a Pap test or being supportive of one's choice of whether they receive a Pap test) and then responded to outcomes measures including perceived source credibility, perceived message effectiveness, attitude toward the message, attitude toward Pap tests, intention to engage with the videos, and intention to get a Pap test. Doctors were perceived as more credible than peers, and doctor videos were perceived to be more effective than peer videos. Autonomy support interacted with source, such that autonomy-supportive videos delivered by a doctor improved attitude toward the messaging and attitude toward Pap tests. Regardless of the source, autonomy-supportive videos increased intention to engage with the content on social media. As Pap test rates have recently declined among young women in the United States and viewing of Pap test-related videos has skyrocketed on the TikTok platform, short-form social media sites like TikTok may be an effective health communication tool for health professionals.